After The Battle
by ntasdbevertickleasleepingdrago
Summary: A continuation of the story from were J.K Rowling left off, focusing on the relationship between Harry and Ginny. and some Ron and Hermione
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) don't own any of these characters' they are all the work of our queen J.K Rowling. **

(The day after the final battle)

Harry woke up, for one peaceful moment he was totally unaware of where he was, but the realisation dawned. The ceiling above him showed him the day would be warm even though the sun was still in the lazy process of rising, as there was not a cloud in the sky. He was in the great hall; he gazed around the crowded room. At some point the night before Professor McGonagall had conjured up sleeping bags. Most people stayed afterwards to mourn and celebrate together, although a few parents had been anxious to get back with their families still in one piece.

Harry had naturally gravitated towards the Weasleys during the celebrations, receiving a bear hug from a sobbing Mrs Weasley. Fred! In the bliss of half sleep Harry had forgotten, all those lost. Fred, Tonks, Lupin, Snape, Colin and so many others. They had moved the bodies the evening before to one of the rooms of the side of the Hall, the same room used for the champions in the tri-wizard tournament. Harry sat up to try and look around his hair brushed against something soft, Ginny's hair, Harry had forgotten he had fallen asleep with a piece of hair between his thumb and forefinger, scared that she would diapers during the night. His sitting up caused Ginny to stir and open her eyes, she gazed up at Harry.

"Going somewhere?" whispered Ginny glancing behind Harry towards her family, before turning and giving him a piercing stare full of hope and sadness.

"Only if you come too, I want to get some fresh air" replied Harry

Ginny smiled up at Harry and silently followed him out of the Hall, picking their way over arms and legs to the door, Harry smiled Ron and Hermione had fallen asleep holding hands again, though this time Harry did not feel the loneliness he had felt before on their trip to hunt Horcruxes as here Ginny was with him. The Weasleys had spread out along the wall beside the door; at the end Ginny and Harry found George curled up asleep next to a mirror, now his only way to see his lost twin alive. Seeing this Ginny began to choke up, Harry put a comforting arm around her and helped her out of the hall, outside Ginny let out a loud sob and threw her arm around Harry trying to enclose herself as much as possible in his arms. Harry, slightly shocked but understanding of this very un-Ginny like behaviour hugged her back hard and let her sob, occasionally stroking her head but a little unsure of what to do, as he did not know where they stood. He was still as madly in love with Ginny as he had been last year but he was afraid she didn't feel the same way. Harry was scared he had hurt her too badly when he left her to go hunt Horcruxes, with no explanation or justification. Ginny gave a whimper then stood up straight and gazed into Hary's eyes.

"I'm sorry, you know I'm not usually this way, but you know... with everything..." she buried her head in Harry's shoulder.

"I understand... you don't understand how much I really do understand" replied Harry with a weak smile.

"No Harry, I understand, I understand more than anyone else! I understand you had to go, I understand why you went, I understand you couldn't tell me and I understand that you may never be the same again, but you don't understand I get you, I know you, I respect your decisions and your nobility that's why I UNDERSTAND THAT I LOVE YOU HARRY POTTER!" And with that speech she launched herself at Harry wrapping he arms around Harry and giving him a passionate kiss.

"Are you sure, I got thought you may not feel the same way, I thought... I thought..."

"I think you are the most stupid person I ever met, of course I still love, that's why I fought so hard last year against the Carrows, that's why I thought of you every moment of every day for every day you were away. You are the reason I didn't sleep at night, because I was sick with worry! But if you don't feel the same way..."

"Of course I do" whispered Harry "I spent hours watching your dot on the marauders map, and you were my every though you were my last thought before Voldemort... you know..."

This was all too much for Ginny how collapsed into a wet kiss with Harry more gentle than before but with more feeling and emotion. Once they had finished they didn't let go of one another but just wrapped their arms tighter around each other sitting on what once may have been the pole of a Quidditch hoop. They sat on rubble and watched the sun finish rising on the rubble that once was Hogwarts.

**Next Chapter coming soon...**

**Please review/ give feedback.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) don't own any of these characters' they are all the work of our queen J.K Rowling. **

**(Harry's point of view)**

...They sat on rubble and watched the sun finish rising on the rubble that once was Hogwarts...

After a long while Harry murmured in to Ginny's hair "come on everyone will wake up soon". Slowly very slowly they got up and picked their way over the rubble to the door of the great hall, hand in hand. People were beginning to stir inside. The house elves had appeared putting breakfast on the long house tables. Harry Recognised Winky and Kreacher and for a second, just a second he though he saw Dobby the old Dobby, grubby pillow case Dobby, but as the house elf turned around he could see it was not Dobby. His heart sunk, yet another friend he would never speak to again. Ginny looked up at Harry, giving him a look of pure understanding and wrapped her arms around him giving him a comforting hug. Harry smiled back.

Harry and Ginny moved towards Ron, Hermione and the Weasley family. Ron and Hermione were curled up in there sleeping bags having fallen asleep facing one another. Ginny whispered to Harry " when did THAT finally happen"

"I honestly don't know, but they were both quite red after the chamber of secrets, unable to say anything coherent"

"It is strange to thin k that such a horrid place, can be so romantic"

Harry thought back to his second year and blushed; he hadn't even considered Ginny in that way back then. "You have been into me way longer than I deserved, you should have shaken some sense into me"

"Maybe this will bring you to your senses." said Ginny kissing him.

"URG, I don't want to see that first thing in the morning!" cried a sleepy disgruntled Ron, Having just woken up. This exclamation caused Hermione to wake up with a start and sigh with relief when she realised they weren't under attack.

"What did you do that for Ron; I thought we were under attack!"

"Yeah well I think Ginny was" replied Ron

"For your information, I was the one who kissed him, he was being so cute" Grinned Ginny At this Hermione gave Ginny a look which Harry didn't quite understand.

"Too much information Ginny, just don't do that in front of me again" he said turning away and almost rolled onto Hermione, looking confused and bashful, he jumped up and started apologising. Ginny gave Hermione a meaningful look and dragged Harry off to breakfast.

**(Ron's Point of view)**

Why had he done that! Rolling into Hermione! He looked down at a slightly bemused but perplexed Hermione, who looked like she was trying not to giggle. Bloody Hell he must look so stupid. He looked at Hermione for a long while before he realised he had been staring, he couldn't remember quite why his heart felt so light but heavy at the same time. He gave a small yawn and then was hit with a sudden realisation, the chamber of secrets! The kiss! How stupid could he have been to forget THAT. After the realisation he was hit with a second wave of uncertainty, did she feel the same way he did, did she just kiss him out of tiredness or relief at finding the basilisk fang. He didn't know what to do so offered Hermione his hand and helped her up.

"Are you okay, I didn't mean to crush you" Ron said

"That's okay; I don't mind you crushing me, you..." Hermione tailed off turning a brilliant shade of red.

"Um, should we get some breakfast I'm starving"

"You are always hungry Ron"

They walked over to Harry and Ginny who had tucked into some toast. He gave his sister a hug which caused her to cry about Fred again, he now realised why he wasn't walking in the air after the kiss. Fred, he tried to hold back the tears and comforted his sister making comforting noises. Most other people in the hall had just woken up and were talking and mourning amongst themselves a few coming to the table to have some breakfast. Ron sat down next to Hermione and grabbed himself some toast, emotions were exhausting however he kept on shooting glances at Hermione checking she was okay and occasionally met her eye, causing them both to blush.

**Harry's Point of view**

On greeting Ron Ginny began to cry, he wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but he knew Ginny also needed her brother as well as him. After she had cheered up a bit Ron sat down next to Hermione, clearly they hadn't yet resolved whatever confusion they had as they kept on glancing at each other with unsure looks.

Harry was just finishing his toast when professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Good morning everyone, I would just like to make a quick announcement, I and the other teachers have talked to the relatives of the Heroes, who died last night..." Ginny grabbed Harry's hand under the table, he turned to smile at her before returning his attention to professor McGonagall "... for the greater good and safety of wizard and muggle kind and we have decided to hold the remembrance service for all the fallen tomorrow by, the lake. We agreed Hogwarts would be the best place to lay these heroes to rest. You can stay here until the ceremony or you can return home, any help with rebuilding would be greatly appreciated."

There were murmurs of agreement throughout the hall. Harry glanced up to see the rest of the Weasley family come and sit with them. Mrs Weasley was silently sobbing into Mr Weasley shoulder looking up to greet her children Harry and Hermione then returning to her husband's comforting shoulder. Ron got up to hug his mother then turned to his brothers unsure how to act, they all glanced at each other then awkwardly hugged. When Ron turned to Bill he was enclosed in a hug with not just Bill but Fleur as well, they both seemed determined not to let go of each other. Harry felt his to, holding onto Ginny harder. When the Weasley family had sat down Harry felt awkward, feeling they deserved time alone as a family, he made a move to leave but Ginny, quite forcefully, pulled him back down again whispering "don't you dare go anywhere, you are not leaving my sight today, you are as much as part of this family as anyone else here." Harry sat back down and felt like he was part of a family for the first time in what seemed a thousand years but that was only last summer at the wedding, not even a year ago. The Weasleys were the closest thing he had experienced to a proper family apart from Sirius and he felt so grateful that they included him in their mourning.

They sat most of the morning remembering Fred and all the good times, George was particularly bad, losing his twin seemed to have knocked the fun and jolliness out of him. Once no one could cry anymore Ginny whispered to Harry and beckoned to Hermione and Ron leading them out of the Great Hall.


	3. Chapter 3

They sat most of the morning remembering Fred and all the good times, George was particularly bad, losing his twin seemed to have knocked the fun and jolliness out of him. Once no one could cry anymore Ginny whispered to Harry and beckoned to Hermione and Ron leading them out of the Great Hall.

As Ginny lead them out Hall she whispered explaining where she was taking them "come on, I think mum and George need some time alone and I wanted to see the common room, ii haven't seen it since before Easter, I hope it's not to damaged, it's kind of like home" Harry smiled down once again at Ginny, this action seemed to be becoming a frequent occasion, and bent down to kiss her, for voicing his thoughts so perfectly.

"Oi you two" said Ron not as forcefully as he once used to noted Harry with a slight sigh of relief.

"Let them be Ronald, they deserve it, they haven't seen each other in almost a year and after all... all that has happened they need this" Scolded Hermione who was beginning to choke up.

Ron but a comforting arm around Hermione "Ok, I can see your point, they deserve it, if I had to ever leave you again I think I would die, I can't imagine being away from you for that long..." Hermione launched herself at him giving him lots of small kisses as he tried to continue speaking "...deluminator... light... never... sorry" then he gave up kissing Hermione back ferociously.

"Hypocrite" said Ginny, grabbing Hurry's arm up through the fat lady and into the common room, leaving Hermione and Ron to it. "At last, peace and quiet sighed Ginny Pulling Harry down onto a sofa beside her"

"What happened here?" Said Harry glancing around the common room

"Well the stair case was the job of the Carrows after I set a second year free. The poor little boy had been hung in the dungeon to punish his brother for talking to a '_mudblood'; _they cursed me all the way up the stairs"

"WHAT" shouted Harry "why didn't you tell me sooner, did they get you, did they hurt you" ragged Harry, pulling Ginny into a hug

"You worry too much, that wasn't the worst I got and by no means the worse that anyone received"

"I want to worry about you"

"that's not your job, I'm safe now, no need to be a martyr anymore, your only job now is to love me" Ginny cringed into Harry's chest, turning a shade that could rival her hair on the red spectrum, clearly embarrassed by what she said, it took him a while to realise what had caused this reaction from her.

"Ginny of course I love you, I thought you knew that, you should know that, you're the reason I came back after Voldemort..."

Ginny kissed him than snuggled down lying on the sofa pulling him down behind her. She sighed, trying to get comfy but even with Harry's arms holding on to her but the sofa had experience one too many bounces and bangs to be called comfy. Harry was startled when she got up and began pulling his arm again.

"You seem to be man handling me a lot recently"

"Yeah well... it's the easiest way to make **you** follow my command" she chuckled

They were half way up the boys' stair before Harry realised where she was taking him. "Gin, do you really think this is a good idea, Ron..."

"We are just going to sleep" she grinned mischievously

"Harry relinquished control to Ginny again allowing her to pull him up the stairs

"Okay, but if any of your brothers ask, it was all you"

"That's what I will tell them but if they believe it is another matter"

Harry gulped as they reached the dormitory he once used to share with Dean, Seamus, Neville and Ron. Glancing around it seemed untouched by the fighting accept for the broken window.

Harry glanced down at himself and realised how much blood and mud he was covered in. "I should probably have a shower", he smiled

"Okay, but don't be too long, I will go and get my night stuff that I left here, as I thought I was coming back" she said with one backwards glance.

Harry climbed into the shower, he didn't realise how much he had needed it, he hadn't had a shower since shell cottage and so much had happened since then. He let the water run over him before scrubbing himself clean and summoning some clean clothes, a t-shirt and pair of pyjama bottoms that Mrs Weasley had retrieved from the Burrow during the day and had mentioned to Harry earlier.

He came out of the shower and greeted Ginny who was just coming through the door with a simultaneous "That's timing" too which they both started giggling uncontrollably collapsing in a heap on the bed. Ginny recovering herself sat up pulling the draped around them and casting _Muffliato. _Harry gave her a quizzical look, "well in case Ron does come in he won't hear anything and won't see me" Harry gave her a devious look and pulled he down into a long kiss "I could get used to this"he whispered when they came up for air, Ginny was in his arms "You had better get used to it" she smiled snuggling into his chest "good night Harry" "Good night Ginny" replied harry tracing patterns on her back in an absent minded way until he became too drowsy, falling into a deep sleep. Sorry the update took so long, been busy with revision, I may update tomorrow unless I don't have time. With family coming over I may not be able to update until after Christmas. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please review, it is really helpful. 


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